Ann Arbor named best city to live in America

Patrons enjoy the outdoor seating at business establishments along Main Street in downtown Ann Arbor following the annual FestiFools parade on April 9, 2017.

(Ryan Stanton | The Ann Arbor News)

ANN ARBOR, MI - Ann Arbor is known for a lot of things, including the University of Michigan, the Huron River, bountiful parks and nature areas, a progressive culture, a happening downtown, low crime, a healthy economy, regular festivals and free outdoor music, and strong schools and neighborhoods.

According to a study by Niche.com, it's the No. 1 best city to live in the United States of America.

Niche, a website that helps people discover the neighborhoods and schools that are right for them, released its 2017 Best Places to Live rankings on April 17.

The rankings explore more than 228 cities and 15,000 towns and neighborhoods to find the best places to live in the U.S. based on a variety of factors, including cost of living, public schools, crime, job opportunities and local amenities.

Niche analyzed data from the U.S. Census, FBI, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and other sources, as well as reviews from residents, to calculate the rankings.

Climbing from its No. 4 spot last year, Ann Arbor became the No. 1 "Best City to Live in America" out of 228 cities, though Carmel, Indiana, took top honors for the "Best Place to Live in America," a separate list on which Ann Arbor ranked 10th, six spots down from Okemos, Michigan.

"A great place to live successfully combines a reasonable cost of living, access to good public schools, plenty of things to do, and a solid job market, among many other factors," Luke Skurman, CEO of Niche, said in a news release.

"With this release, we're excited about the opportunity to help people all over the country find the right neighborhoods for them and their families."

The website gave Ann Arbor an overall grade of A+ after giving it the following grades for different categories:

A Niche user wrote: "I live on a college campus in Ann Arbor and the area is great. There are seemingly endless choices of things to do and places to go, and every time you walk around town you notice something new. The campus is great and the area surrounding the campus is just as beautiful and enjoyable."